“Very strongly influenced by Moscow”
This is just normal now.
Spies direct the public as to how they should vote.
There is clearly an implicit threat here, no?
Far-right views and positions pose the biggest threat to German democracy and voters should bear this in mind before casting their ballot for the nationalist, anti-immigrant Alternative für Deutschland (Alternative for Germany, AfD) party, according to the country’s domestic spy agency.
Thomas Haldenwang, the chief of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), made the remark at a news conference on Tuesday as he presented the agency’s 2022 annual report.
“[P]arts of the AfD spread hate and agitation against all kinds of minorities in Germany, especially migrants … We see that parts of the AfD also hold and promote an anti-Semitic attitude,” said Haldenwang.
“We see that parts of the AfD are very much influenced by Moscow and continue to spread Russian narratives”, particularly with regards to Russia’s all-out war in Ukraine, Haldenwang added.
“I think these are all circumstances that German voters should bear in mind when making their decision,” he said.
The AfD has opposed economic sanctions against Moscow, in contrast with mainstream German parties including Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s governing Social Democrats who strongly support Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invading forces.
‘Extremist entities’The spy agency classified the youth organisation of AfD, the Young Alternatives, and two other organisations, the Institute for State Policy and the “One Percent” association, as “extremist entities” pursuing aims against the constitution.
The new classification could affect members’ ability to be employed in the public sector or to get licences for weapons.
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The classification does not apply to the AfD itself, and Manfred Guellner of the pollster Forsa said it was unlikely to have a major effect on the party
The AfD is currently polling at 18-20 percent nationwide and is on track to win three state votes in eastern Germany with calls to stop migration and curb what it sees as a costly green agenda.
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According to research published by Institute for New Social Answers (INSA) this week, the AfD is polling at 20 percent at the national level, on par with the SPD but behind the centre-right CDU at 26.5 percent.
It seems like the German people do not appreciate this sort of bullying by the intelligence agencies, and a lot of them would prefer fewer immigrants and less war.
AfD is currently polling second, ahead of all the parties in the governing coalition